1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to forming a desired shape for a sheet of glass, and more particularly to the forming of a radius curvature to a sheet of glass disposed within a rigid, bendable frame structure without heating the glass prior to bending.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As is well known in the art, various problems and difficulties are encountered in providing a suitable method of bending sheets of glass, particularly large sheets of flat glass.
Several methods of bending glass sheets or plates are well known; however, these methods require the glass sheets to be treated and formed in a bending furnace, or at least during a period when the glass sheet or plate is heated to the softening point of the glass, so that it sags by gravity into contact with the shaping surface of a mold, wherein the glass assumes the shape or curvature thereof. Thus, the glass sheet can then be annealed or it can be tempered by subjecting the opposite surface of the heated sheet to jets or blasts of a cooling medium, such as air.
One known method for bending glass is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,396,000.